Stars at Coyotes
THE STORY: The Dallas Stars have to be considered one of the biggest
surprises in the NHL in the first month. Picked to finish near the
bottom of the conference, the Stars have made up for an at times
stagnant offense with stellar play from top goaltender Kari Lehtonen,
who remains undefeated in six starts. Lehtonen will likely be back in
goal Tuesday when Dallas visits the Phoenix Coyotes. The Stars already
have a victory against the Coyotes this season, a 2-1 shootout decision
in Dallas on Oct. 10. Phoenix has fought inconsistency on the offensive
end, totaling 14 goals in its three wins while managing only six in four
setbacks. The Coyotes have already been active in the trade market,
shipping Petteri Nokelainen to Montreal for a minor leaguer in order to
open up ice time for rookie Andy Miele.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), FS Arizona (Phoenix)
ABOUT THE STARS (6-2-0):
Lehtonen has been able to cover over any Dallas problems with a .957
save percentage in his six starts. The Stars have been outshot by an
average of 7.75 per game. Dallas dropped a 1-0 decision at Los Angeles
on Saturday with Andrew Raycroft in net.
ABOUT THE COYOTES (3-3-1):
Miele, who won the Hobey Baker Award last year, got in one shot and two
penalty minutes in his debut Sunday but it was Martin Hanzal who
emerged as the star, scoring a pair of goals to spark Phoenix to a 5-4
victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Hanzal recorded an assist in the loss to
Dallas early in the month but had been held without a goal until
Sunday.
OVERTIME:
1. The last five meetings between the Stars and Coyotes have been decided by one goal, with three going into extra time.
2. Hanzal has been held to 10 points in 23 games against the Stars.
3. Loui Eriksson scored the lone regulation goal for Dallas on Oct. 10 and has 24 points in 30 career games against Phoenix.